# Six Patriots won't go to White House **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 10, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468 "2017-02-10T15:22:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/21 "2017-02-10T21:13:37Z")
Missing the White House visit isn’t a big deal. Players have scheduling conflicts, or are too hurt to attend, or just don’t want to. It’s not exceptional to not go, it’s like passing on a trip to the Pro Bowl. What’s different this time is that players are announcing it and making it into a political thing. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2017, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/22 "2017-02-10T21:38:17Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Name one decent, honorable liberal with compassion and tolerance for a viewpoint that differs from theirs. Given your definition of intolerance I’d go with, at least, the 9 other members of the Patriots that didn’t vote for trump but appear to be going. I say at least because the most trumpy stage only voted for him 70.1% of the time and while it’s more likely that the team votes similar to the general population this gives a low end estimate of 15.8 non-trumpiters on the team. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/23 "2017-02-11T15:43:22Z")
> [@Mr.Greenjeans](#): > > I think they should go to the White House to yell at Trump. Cause a commotion. Call him a lying sack of shit. Give him the finger. So, they should give their spot to Charles Oakley? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/24 "2017-02-11T16:04:27Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > What’s different this time is that players are announcing it and making it into a political thing. As has been pointed out numerous times in this very thread - no, it’s not “different this time”. Players vocally turn down White House invitations for political reasons all the time, and make that decision known. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/25 "2017-02-14T18:02:14Z")
\*New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft weighed in on the decision by several of his players to skip the traditional White House visit this year after winning the Super Bowl, saying he didn’t see it as anything out of the ordinary. "Every time we’ve had the privilege of going to the White House, a dozen of our players don’t go,‘’ Kraft said on TODAY Monday. “This is the first time it’s gotten any media attention.”\* > **[Patriots owner Robert Kraft weighs in on players skipping White House visit](https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/02/13/new-england-patriots-owner-robert-kraft-weighs-in-on-players-de/21712960/)** > > New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave his take on the decision by a handful of players to skip the traditional White House visit after winning the Super Bowl. WHAT? Is Kraft suggesting that the main stream news outlets only find this story newsworthy because it gives them one more chance to talk about Trump, after they’ve mostly ignored similar player/Presidential situations in the past? Who’s in charge of the LSM story choices anyway? A Kardashian? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/26 "2017-02-15T02:24:31Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Name one decent, honorable liberal with compassion and tolerance for a viewpoint that differs from theirs. Viewpoint? You think this is (merely) about _viewpoints_? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/27 "2017-02-15T02:30:59Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > WHAT? Is Kraft suggesting that the main stream news outlets only find this story newsworthy because it gives them one more chance to talk about Trump, after they’ve mostly ignored similar player/Presidential situations in the past? No, Kraft is suggesting the mainstream new outlets find this story newsworthy because it gives \*\*\*him \*\*\*one more chance to suckle on Trump’s balls, since they haven’t mostly ignored similar situations in the past. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/28 "2017-02-16T12:28:36Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Their gift can be a bag of small potatoes. Or a check for $3.00 ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/29 "2017-02-16T15:09:45Z")
While I respect their right to refuse to go, a part of me feels that it is a shame not to go. Trump and politics aside… it’s part of the Superbowl celebration with your team and maybe a once in a lifetime opportunity for most. AFAIK, there’s no obligation to shake hands or interact with the president. It’s kind of like not being in your graduating class photo because you disagreed with the administration. 50 years from now, when all this has passed (and it will) and you’re telling you’re kids, and grandkids about your greatest accomplishments, would you regret not going to the White House and being in that team picture? Sure, you could explain to people why you didn’t go… but IMHO you could explain the circumstances of why you disagreed with the president at the time, just as easily. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/30 "2017-02-16T15:27:01Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > It’s kind of like not being in your graduating class photo because you disagreed with the administration. > 50 years from now, when all this has passed (and it will) and you’re telling you’re kids, and grandkids about your greatest accomplishments, would you regret not going to the White House and being in that team picture? > > Sure, you could explain to people why you didn’t go… but IMHO you could explain the circumstances of why you disagreed with the president at the time, just as easily. For what it’s worth, my mother “disagreed” with the Kent State Massacre, and she’s nowhere to be seen if you scour photos of her college graduation ceremony later that month – and she’ll still tell you all about it even as we now approach the 50-year mark, and I’ve never once heard her regret her choices. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/31 "2017-02-16T15:51:52Z")
Yeah, those players won’t regret not going to the WH. It will be a badge of honor for the rest of their lives. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/32 "2017-02-16T16:08:58Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > it’s part of the Superbowl celebration with your team and maybe a once in a lifetime opportunity for most. It’s the Patriots, there’ll be other chances. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/33 "2017-02-16T16:20:07Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > it’s part of the Superbowl celebration with your team and maybe a once in a lifetime opportunity for most. They’ll probably get another chance to go to the white house, this may be their only chance to snub the so-called president. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/34 "2017-02-16T20:11:00Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > No, Kraft is suggesting the mainstream new outlets find this story newsworthy because it gives \*\*\*him \*\*\*one more chance to suckle on Trump’s balls, since they haven’t mostly ignored similar situations in the past. According to Kraft, "Every time we’ve had the privilege of going to the White House, a dozen of our players don’t go,‘’ Kraft said on TODAY Monday. “This is the first time it’s gotten any media attention.” Decisions, decisions. Who should I believe, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft or you? Hmmmm. I’m going to go with Kraft on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/35 "2017-02-16T20:15:07Z")
Kraft is buried so far up Trump’s ass, I’m surprised he’s not routinely confused with a lump of impacted Trump steak. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/36 "2017-02-16T20:58:08Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Decisions, decisions. Who should I believe, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft or you? Hmmmm. I’m going to go with Kraft on this one. Google’s a helpful little website. You can run searches that pull up hits from a specific period of time. Like, you could do a search on “athlete declines White House invitation”, and limit it to hits [between 1/20/2009 and 1/20/2017](https://www.google.com/search?q=athlete+declines+white+house+invitation&biw=1366&bih=638&source=lnt&tbs=cdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1%2F20%2F2009%2Ccd_max%3A1%2F20%2F2017&tbm=). Oddly, despite Kraft’s comments, it seems that there _hasn’t_ been a media blackout on the dozens of athletes that didn’t want to shake Obama’s hand. In the future, regardless of politics, it’s usually a far better bet to not side with the person making an absolute claim that can be easily refuted by just a single example. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/37 "2017-02-16T22:29:39Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Google’s a helpful little website. You can run searches that pull up hits from a specific period of time. Like, you could do a search on “athlete declines White House invitation”, and limit it to hits [between 1/20/2009 and 1/20/2017](https://www.google.com/search?q=athlete+declines+white+house+invitation&biw=1366&bih=638&source=lnt&tbs=cdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1%2F20%2F2009%2Ccd_max%3A1%2F20%2F2017&tbm=). Oddly, despite Kraft’s comments, it seems that there _hasn’t_ been a media blackout on the dozens of athletes that didn’t want to shake Obama’s hand. > > In the future, regardless of politics, it’s usually a far better bet to not side with the person making an absolute claim that can be easily refuted by just a single example. _According to Kraft, "Every time we’ve had the privilege of going to the White House, a dozen of our players don’t go,‘’ Kraft said on TODAY Monday. “This is the first time it’s gotten any media attention.”_ Kraft was referring to New England Patriot player occurrences. He didn’t mention the total number of hockey players, basketball players, baseball players etc… When these other New England Patriot players skipped a WH meeting, how much media attention did they receive at that particular point in time? How much media attention did these skipping New England Patriot players receive when the sports media were later reminiscing about the good old days of players skipping a WH meeting? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/38 "2017-02-16T22:49:38Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > How much media attention did these skipping New England Patriot players receive when the sports media were later reminiscing about the good old days of players skipping a WH meeting? You can either click the link, or grab a shovel to keep digging further in. Your call. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/39 "2017-02-16T23:52:54Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > You can either click the link, or grab a shovel to keep digging further in. Your call. Was Kraft making a general statement about any, or all, sports figures who skipped a WH meet and greet, or was he only referring to New England Patriot players? In the past, when New England Patriot players skipped a WH meeting, how much media attention did they receive at the time they skipped the WH meeting? How much media attention did these New England Patriot players later receive when the sports media were later reminiscing about the good old days of sports players skipping a WH meeting? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468/40 "2017-02-17T00:44:33Z")
doorhinge, I feel like my link sufficiently answers all of the questions you’ve asked, as well as the bonus question “is doorhinge arguing in good faith?”. It’s hilariously obvious that Kraft’s statement that “this is the first time it’s gotten any media attention” is just a pathetic lie or ignorance at its finest. I honestly don’t know why you’re standing guard on this hill. If there were endless media segments of Brady not attending Obama’s invitation (other than the typical half-week news cycle this one is getting), you’d have been able to apoplectically froth about the media slobbering all over Obama because Brady’s being so mean to him. As far I know, you already did. Maybe take a moment and do so now - I’d hate to see you waste the opportunity to take both sides of a ridiculous argument. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-patriots-wont-go-to-white-house/779468.md?page=3)